Hercule Van Wolfwinkle’s pet portraits have been described as ‘hilarious’, ‘cute’, ‘endearing’, and even ‘rubbish’. But however you choose to describe them, there is no denying that they have become something of a phenomenon since Hercule posted his very first portrait on Facebook back in the summer of 2020.

Hercule’s self-proclaimed ‘ultra-realistic’ style is akin to that of a small child who has never seen an animal before and is only just learning how to hold a pencil properly, but people seem to like it…. lots of people!

A large social media following reaching millions of people every month, and worldwide media coverage, has catapulted Hercule into the limelight and he has used this exposure to raise money for his chosen charities; Turning Tides Ending Local Homelessness and StreetVet.

You see, despite having more than 80,000 requests for portraits in his inbox, Hercule doesn’t charge for his pet portraits. They are all drawn for free with the request that people donate to the charities if they are able to.

And the formula works because, with the help of his amazing supporters, Hercule has raised over £475,000 for charity, meaning that the next target of £500,000 is now in sight!!

And that next target of '500' was the inspiration behind his latest big fundraising campaign.

Throughout the month of March, Hercule will endeavor to walk 500 miles in pursuit of his portraits, walking 20 miles a day for 25 days.

Each walk will start in Hercule's home town of Worthing where Turning Tides are based, and Hercule will walk to Brighton (well Hove, actually!) which is the nearest StreetVet outreach location to him. On arrival in Brighton (well Hove, actually!), Hercule will draw his pet portrait for the day before setting off on the walk back home.

500 Miles not only represents the next fundraising target, but it is also the approximate distance between StreetVet's most southerly outreach location in Cornwall and their most northern location in Glasgow.

It's also, of course, the distance The Proclaimers would walk for someone they love......and Hercule loves these charities very much indeed!

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL!

To quote The Proclaimers 'I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more...'

So here's the thing, if Hercule walks 500 miles, can YOU walk 500 more?

Hercule's fundraising milestones have only ever been reached because of the amazing support from the community of people who follow his work.

So Hercule is asking if, together, that community could collectively walk 500 miles over the month of March - whether it's doing one 10 mile walk, or a number of miles each day, could YOU help to add to that collective 500 miles and raise some funds along the way?

If you would like to join in with the fundraising by taking part in your own walking challenge, please email Hercule for more information:

hello@herculevanwolfwinkle.co.uk